Lakeside  It pales when compared to records for blue catfish set by anglers at San Vicente and Lower Otay, but Cameron Smith’s catch last week of a 48.35-pound blue catfish broke a record that stood for nearly 27 years at El Capitan.

Smith, a pro bass angler from Dana Point, was cranking one of his custom-made Triple Shad Elite lures in the back of the Lakeside fishery when the big cat struck. His lure is a variation of the umbrella rig or Alabama rig in that it has three underspins or spinnerblades with a jig head and trailer like a Zoom Super Fluke.

The previous El Capitan record for blue catfish, 45.31 pounds, was set April 27, 1986.

Smith released the big blue after weighing it.

The San Vicente record for blue catfish is the state and county standard at 113.4 pounds. Steve Oudomsouk of San Diego. He caught it in July of 2008, just before the lake closed for the raising of the dam. The blue catfish record at Lower Otay is 98.45 pounds.

Roger Rohrbouck’s 101-pounder from San Vicente in March of 2000 was the state and county record until Oudomsouk’s catch. Rohrbouck caught his big blue just in time for the Fred Hall Show at Del Mar. With the help of Phil Jay and John Collins, Rohrbouck displayed the fish in the freshwater fish tank at the Hall Show that week. It was a huge hit and was believed to have attracted thousands more to the show.

Fishing has been good at several San Diego-area lakes. At El Capitan, the 165 anglers reported catching and releasing 319 bass, three channel catfish, two crappie and one very big blue catfish. Lower Otay’s bass fishing remains strong with 91 anglers reporting 13 bass kept, with 258 released. They also landed 11 crappie.

Rockfish and yellowtail: There has been some fair fishing for yellowtail at the Coronado Islands, but rockfish continue to set the pace. Fred Huber, captain of the Daily Double, said a couple of his anglers dueled for jackpot rights on Wednesday, with one catching an 8-pound cabezon, only to lose to a 15-pound lingcod a bit later. Meantime, Ryan Bostian, captain of the San Diego, reported seeing schools of yellowtail that didn’t want to cooperate. He’s at the Islands again Thursday. The boat reported five yellowtail on Wednesday. The Mission Belle out of Point Loma Sportfishing and the Malihini out of H&M Landing each had nine yellowtail on Wednesday.

Turkey cooking tips: I’ve tried all sorts of recipes for wild turkey. My favorite remains “The Sporting Chef,” Scott Leysath’s Herb-Roasted Wild Turkey with Cherry Chutney. Also, if you want your turkey to taste better, put it in a brine for a few days prior to cooking it.

But if you don’t have the time to do all that, Bisher’s Quality Meats in Ramona will turn that wild turkey into turkey sausage. You have a choice of sausage like country breakfast, sweet Italian and more. The cost is $25 a bird, and you’ll get five- to eight pounds of sausage, depending on the size of your turkey. Call (760) 789-1488 and ask for Daniel.

Good turkey brine: This is from the National Wild Turkey Federation website:

Ingredients: 1 ¼ cups of salt; 1 gallon of water; 1 wild turkey; 2 Granny Smith apples; 1 large onion; 3 celery stalks; fresh ground pepper. Dissolve the salt in a container large enough to hold the turkey. Lower the turkey into the water and refrigerate for eight to 12 hours or a day or two. After removing the turkey from the brine, discard the liquid brine (but keep the other ingredients), rinse and then pat the turkey dry. Cut the apples and onion slices and the celery into three-inch pieces. Place them in the cavity of the turkey and around it. Season the turkey with pepper or herbs from Leysath’s recipe.

Start the turkey at 350 degrees in the oven and roast it breast-side up for 30 minutes. Lower the heat to 325 degrees and turn the turkey breast side down. Use the apples to brace the turkey when it’s roasting breast-side down. Bake for 1½ more hours. Turn it again and bake it until cooked through. Roast it for about 10 minutes per pound.